can i replace javascript with python/DTML. I have used drop down menus in the pages using javascript. Is these available in Zope or is there some way of using these.
Sorry, I just re-read my posting and realized that I had not been clear on this point. Your client-side scripting (javascript/whatever) remains the same whether under Zope or conventional web serving. It is only the server-side scripting that changes.
Is there some book released on zope/DTML for reference.
Make sure that you have downloaded all of the documentation available on the Zope site, and have read it thoroughly. Zope is not yet adequately documented (this is not a criticism of what has been done already, which is very good, but a reflection on the size and scope of system, which needs much much more good documentation). However what is available is sufficient to work with, if you are persistent.
Does this mean a complete rewrite of the code is required of all the javascript and cgi files , or is there some method to convert them to DTML.
Javascript, as above. CGI, you do not say what you are using for your CGI scripting. If Perl, then for the moment you will need to re-write in Python (but that is not too difficult, you will have a valuable learning experience doing it, and your scripts will be more easy to maintain in the future). There is nothing available to do an automatic conversion of an existing similar site (say using PHP) to Zope, and as you learn about Zope the reason for this will become clear. (The same would be true for alternatives). Richard